The Executive Committee of the Canadian Labour Congress has rejected CUPE’s solution to bringing the IWA-Canada into compliance with the CLC constitution.
A neutral umpire appointed by CLC President Ken Georgetti ruled last month that IWA-Canada was in violation of the CLC Constitution when it signed voluntary partnership agreements with private health sector corporations that are taking over work from public health facilities represented by CUPE-HEU.
In a conference call meeting earlier today, CUPE asked the CLC Executive Committee to decide on CUPE’s previously tabled motion calling on IWA-Canada:
- to withdraw from these partnership agreements;
The motion was defeated. A motion proposed by CLC President Ken Georgetti was subsequently adopted. This motion calls on IWA-Canada to cease and desist from signing further voluntary agreements related to Bill 29 in BC, and to freeze its presence in the health care sector to the four voluntary agreements it has signed. Further, IWA-Canada is restricted within these four voluntary agreements to contracts already awarded.
The position adopted by the CLC Executive Committee does not give CUPE-HEU the redress we are seeking. Delegates to CUPE’s national convention recently voted unanimously to take whatever steps are necessary to pressure for full redress. CUPE’s National Executive Committee and Board will be meeting mid-December to decide CUPE’s next steps.
Paul Moist
National President
Claude Généreux
National Secretary-Treasurer